Pietersen announces England axe via Twitter

Kevin Pietersen announced via social networking site Twitter on Tuesday he'd been dropped from England's squad for the forthcoming Twenty20 and one-day internationals against Pakistan.

A source close to the England team, who did not wish to be named, subsequently told AFP Pietersen had indeed been left out.

The star batsman was clearly unhappy at the decision telling followers on his account kevinpp24: "Done for rest of summer!! Man of the World Cup T20 and dropped from the T20 side too. It's a fxxx up."

His tweet, which came several hours before the official England squad announcement, was subsequently deleted but not before it had been picked up by other internet users.

In a post that was cut short, seemingly because of Twitter's 140 character limit, Pietersen added: "Surrey have signed me for l ... (blank)."

Surrey have so far refused to comment.

Pietersen had struggled for runs this English season and managed just one fifty, a scratchy innings of 80 in the second Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

Pietersen, out for a duck in England's innings and 225 run win in the fourth and final Test at Lord's, where the hosts' victory saw them to a 3-1 series win, was man of the series in the team's victorious World Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean this year.

England had planned to announce their squad at 12pm local time (1100GMT) Tuesday but this was put back to 2pm and then 5.15pm.

England are scheduled to play Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals, in Cardiff, on Sunday and Tuesday, before a five-match one-day series against Pakistan.

Pietersen has never been dropped, when fit, from an international side since his England career started in 2004.

England have asked Hampshire, Pietersen's county side, to play him in a couple of fixtures this season.

But with Pietersen having made it clear he would be leaving Hampshire at the end of the season to play for a team nearer his London home, which would effectively mean a move to either Middlesex or Surrey, the southern side have refused to select the South Africa born batsman.

Pierersen could face disciplinary action for revealing squad details before the official announcement.

Australia batsman Phillip Hughes was reprimanded for revealing on Twitter he had been left out of the side for the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston last year while Yorkshire duo Tim Bresnan and Azeem Rafiq have both been disciplined for expletive-filled Tweets.